Rapture of the Deep
Rapture of the Deep is the seventh book in the critically acclaimed Bloody Jack book series. It precedes My Bonny Light Horseman and is followed by The Wake of the Lorelei Lee. It continues the events of Bloody Jack, as Jacky returns from her 'history-defining' adventure as a Parisian nightclub spy and messenger for Napoleon Bonaparte. Plot Summary The novel begins minutes after the final confrontation with Jacky's Head Agent Jardineaux that was just about to kill her at the end of the last novel (My Bonny Light Horseman.) Her schooner, 'Nancy B. Alsop', comes to receive Jacky from Paris. Once aboard, her butler Master John Higgins cleans her up and Jacky tells him of her duty as a nightclub dancer and spy for the British. She also tells of Jean-Paul, who she had a relationship with along the course of events. When reunited with Jaimy who's done recovering from an attack on sea, the two decide to get married when at home in Britain. Along the way, Jacky contracts a high fever but recovers. When in London, she reunites with friends Mairead, Judy, little Joannie and her grandfather Pastor Alsop (her late mother's father.) Jacky dines with Jaimy's family, despite the strained relationship with Mother Fletcher. She manages to charm Jaimy's father and brother, but his mother still hates him. On the day of the wedding, Mairead, Judy, and Joannie help get Jacky ready for the wedding but soon, there's a massive interruption. And it's none other than British Intelligence; the ones who assigned Jacky's first previous mission as a spy. Mairead and Judy fight the British back but Jacky is taken along with Jaimy. Jacky reunites with Mr. Peel and Lord Grenville. The one who abducted Jacky just so happened to be Bliffil himself who Jacky has despised since the beginning. When Jacky acts up, Lord Grenville reminds her of past relationships with Spanish pirate, Flaco Jimenez, Captain Lord Richard Allen, and Jean-Paul de Valdon just to inform Jaimy of her cheating ways that he's already been subjected to back outside of New Orleans. Soon when they come to terms that Jacky was about to embark on another mission, the two officials inform Jacky of the assignment at hand. Back in 1733, the ship 'Santa Magdalena' sunk due to a dangerous typhoon and on the ship was millions upon millions of gold in coins. Britain wants to retrieve that gold to help the economy and Jacky is promised a percentage of that gold and a possible pardon from the King himself, despite her crimes of piracy. Luckily for Jacky, Jaimy is allowed to be with her on the mission but they will be on separate ships. Both ships are Jacky's: the 'Dolphin' and 'Nancy B. Alsop.' On the 'Dolphin', the ship will be commandeered by none other than Captain Hannibal Hudson while Jacky is to be captain of the 'Nancy B.' Jaimy is stationed on the Dolphin along with Lieutenant Flashby. Despite the fact that Flashby will be in on this mission, Jacky will have aboard her crew Davy and Tink from the Dread Brotherhood of the 'Dolphin.' Also on board her schooner is Higgins, little Joannie Nichols and Daniel Prescott. Jacky is also reunited with Dr. Sebastian who is "the leader of scientific expedition." But as of right now, Jacky don't know of anyone else who is to be helping on the expedition with the exception of her very own John Thomas and Smasher McGee. What Jacky is assigned to do is sail to the Florida Keys to where the 'Santa Magdalena' is located under the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. When allowed to leave, Jacky and Jaimy are aware of their positions on separate boats. Another regulation is that there's to be no sexual behavior between the two of them; the British have no use for a pregnant agent. They depart on their two separate ships and sail for Boston. In Spanish waters, Jacky is required to take up a disguise as an American sponge diver called Jacqueline Bouvier. The Spanish are conflicting with the British so Jacky and her crew must maintain an American cover when in the Caribbean. When arrived, Jacky is reunited bitterly with Mistress Pimm and Clementine Fletcher-Tanner. The latter hasn't much to say to Jacky because of their strained relationship fueled by their love for the same man (Jaimy.) But Clementine met Jim aboard the 'Belle of the Golden West' and ended up getting married by the time the crew reached New Orleans. Jacky prepares to revisit the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls and wears her outrageous red wig and mantilla for the occasion. Higgins disagrees initially but allows her to take the outfit and that she does. When there, she reunites with Annie who is married Davy and all her old Lawson Peabody friends and have dinner. She reunites by friend and acclaimed author, Amy Trevelyne, who has recently taken a liking for Ezra Pickering. Pickering comes to Dovecote, the Trevelyne farmstead in Quincy, Massachusetts to pick Jacky back up as a request by the HMS 'Dolphin.' Solomon Freeman, a freed slave who worked on the 'Belle of the Golden West' and who is a member of Faber Shipping Worldwide, comes to pick Jacky up in the 'Morning Star.' Jacky reunited with Captain Hudson and Jaimy; Among the others aboard for the journey are Flashby and Mr. Bennett. Hudson show Jacky a contraption called the diving bell which will aid Jacky underwater whilst swimming for sponges and scavenging the 'Santa Magdalena for the gold supply. And the one designing the bell is none other than Professor Tilden himself; he's the scientific expert aboard the 'Dolphin' just as Dr. Sebastian is, aboard the 'Nancy B. Alsop.' Before setting sail for the Keys, Jacky tells Captain Hudson to be on the lookout for any ship-jumpers that might get on board for information and turn it in to the opposing forces such as the Spanish. Jacky and Jaimy enjoy time together but must depart for a couple of weeks. While docked in Charleston, Jacky, Davy, and Tink, enjoy time together and visit a couple of taverns where she performs her songs on pennywhistle and violin The next day, Jacky and the group run along a slave trade being done. Black people are being auctioned to the highest bid while being laughed by a racist crowd. Jacky is deeply angered by this kind of trade going on but bids for a rotund, old slave woman named Jemimah. Despite being laughed at by the local Colonel Ashley Tarleton for wanting an old Negro woman as a slave, she takes Jemimah to the 'Nancy B.' Despite the lukewarm reception Jacky gets from her crew, Jemimah is taken in as the ship's cook and mother figure to Joannie and Daniel. Jacky then talks to Jemimah personally to let her know she is freed as a slave and when they get to Havana, she has the option to walk away with the pay she gets from Faber Shipping or stay as a permanent member of the ship. Jemimah says she will decide on that later. Soon Jacky is prepping on her swimming skills and gets Davy to drop his drawers and take a swim after an occasional Sunday lesson. With the crew laughing at him for his fear of swimming; they get Joannie to do it too, much to her dismay. When they get to the Keys, Jacky starts swimming immediately; her first dive is a dangerous one though. She has a run-in with what Dr. Sebastian knows as a moray eel. Despite Dr. Sebastian's interest in the creature, Jacky remains terrified after being put back on board. Jacky decapitated the eel and gave the carcass to Dr. Sebastian. Studying the coordinates of the 'Santa Magdalena's' resting place from Carlos Maria Santana Juarez's journals from 1733, Jacky decides to explore the nearby island. She notices how there's a large amount of mangroves in the area and takes Dr. Sebastian, Joannie, and Daniel along for the trip. When there, Jacky puts a red sash around a mangrove bush to indicate what island it be. Jemimah told the kids to collect oysters and fresh water. The water's too salty as desired so they go back with no water. Dr. Sebastian notice fiddler crabs on the island and soon, the group are ambushed by alligators. It turns out the island is one big alligator pit and while they luckily escape. They have to save little Joannie from one of the gators which breaks a couple of her ribs and gives her head a hard knock. Once aboard, they tend to her immediately and think she's not going to make it. But Joannie does in the end, and stays in Jacky's bed for a week or so with Daniel constantly at her side. Jemimah soon exposes Jacky to the chickens Higgins brought aboard while in port. Jacky makes note of a fiercely territorial banty rooster that she may have use for someday. Soon, Jacky is ready to dive down and find the 'Santa Magdalena'; the entire crew disagrees with her all except Dr. Sebastian that tells her that it's he that specifically 'instructs' her to do it. Jacky dives into the water and within minutes, she finds the sunken ship. After such success, the moment is ruined by the sight of a Spanish man-of-war. The boats is called the San Cristobal and it is massive in size and in ammunition. The officer in charge demands who the fleet is and what's their purpose in Spanish waters. Unconvinced, the men scrounge the 'Nancy B.' and find no evidence to prove the crew are fakes. In the mean time, Jacky is hiding out in the waters and soon come up. She meets the cold-tempered yet dashing lieutenant and gets water on his shiny black boots. The Spaniard forces Jacky to shine his shoes for her mistake and the 'San Cristobal' sets sail towards Havana. So do Jacky and the 'Nancy B.'; taking in the views as heading into dock. She notices Morro Castle and the heavy fortification since the assault on the city by the British. In dock, the lieutenant from the 'San Cristobal' introduces himself as Juan Carlos Cisneros y Siquieros. The man takes an extreme disliking towards Jacky and Jacky has mutual feelings. In dock, Jemimah decides to explore the town and see if she likes it enough to make her own roots. Jacky, Davy, and Tink explore the town; immersing in some cockfighting matches (where Jacky trains her own banty rooster El Gringo), performing at the Cafe Americano, among other activities. Soon Jemimah comes back to be a part of the crew but with richer, more tasteful clothes from the money she received working for Faber Shipping. Daniel and Joannie are happy to have their Aunt Jemimah back, obviously. One night at the Cafe Americano, Jacky runs into old flame Flaco Jimenez and is introduced to Flaco's new first mate, El Feo. Jacky is threatened by the presence of El Feo instantly. It's a nice reunion but soon Flaco tells Jacky that he knows why she's down here in the Caribbean, looking for treasure. Turns out, that Captain Hudson let a "ship-jumper" on board the 'Dolphin' and he gathered information for the Spanish and is off in the world somewhere. This angers Jacky; and by this time Higgins and the crew comes to pick Jacky up and carry her back to the 'Nancy B.' Spending days preparing for the cockfighting matches and immersing herself in Jemimah's Brother Rabbit and Brother Fox tales, Jaimy and the 'Dolphin' crew soon meets back up with Jacky. She gives them an update on her progress and spends the night with Jaimy in her cabin. The next morning on board, Jacky gets ready for her first descent using the diving bell; Tink makes Jacky some swim fins and she gets used to the diving bell's design. At first she uses the mechanism for getting some creatures for the Doctor then she ventures down to the 'Santa Magdalena.' In the meantime, Flaco Jimenez and his ship is hanging around the vicinity of the wreckage, uneasing the crew deeply. Jacky gets underwater towards the ship with a grappling hook and uses it to pry the golden crucifix from the mainmast but still gets no access to the lower spaces of the ship. Taking a break from scavenging, Jacky returns back to business and eventually finds the ship's vault, using the hook to unhinge the door off the vault, Jacky finds the gold supply of the ship. In the process of getting the bell and the gold up into the ship, Jacky contracts nitrogen narcosis, a condition similar to alcohol intoxication that leads from high amounts of nitrogen that gets in the bloodstream. Jacky don't feel anything but when the pain from the Rapture of the Deep starts to kick in, she begins convulsing and shrieking until they get her back into the water to ease the condition. Jaimy, even though he is nervous about being in the bell under water, takes her down where they make-out. Dr. Sebastian is angry with Jacky for getting in the condition but he takes it out on Professor Tilden who didn't tell her of the Rapture of the Deep because "she was just a girl" and probably wouldn't "understand the science." Dr. Sebastian assures Tilden she is not a stupid girl and has Jacky ushered to bed. The next day Jacky starts putting the gold in baskets underwater when her own greed (a little Mary Faber talking in her head) tells her to put fan coral in the baskets and keep the gold for herself where she can use the gold to buy another ship like her precious 'Emerald'. Jacky does it, sneaking the gold into her undersea safehold for Faber Shipping Worldwide. Soon, Jacky encounters Flaco and his ship "El Diablo Rojo" and while they talk, Flaco's first mate El Feo plot a mutiny in secret. They hold the "Nancy B." and its crew at gunpoint but soon a fight among the two opposing ships commences. El Feo and his new ship, the "Red Devil" sail off in retreat, leaving Flaco with to side with Jacky. Back in town, Jacky continues with the cockfighting matches and nights at the Cafe Americano. Lieutenant Cisneros corners Jacky in the club and nearly provokes a fight but Ric, the owner of the cafe, points out the bar's etiquette rules and orders the lieutenant to leave. Cisneros does but vows that it's not over between the two of them. As for Jaimy and the rest of the 'Dolphin', they end up in Kingston perfectly fine. They are invited to the Officers' Club where it is there, Jaimy runs into Captain Richard Allen. Jaimy instantly remembers Allen from the time he caught Allen and Jacky skinnydipping in the Mississippi River. Allen also remembers Jaimy and they have an awkward conversation. Things get even more awkward when Allen runs into Flashby. After another cockfighting match, Jacky tells Joannie to go collect the winnings of the match. But she does not return and Jacky soon figures out she's missing. The crew goes all over Havana looking for the girl to little success. They hear that a white man took Joannie. While on the open sea, Jacky runs into El Feo and his crew. They are taken aboard and it's found out that El Feo himself kidnapped Joannie. Jacky also find out that Flashby's been working undercover for El Feo the entire mission, something of a "double agent." El Feo demands to be shown where the gold is at and Jacky's doesn't fess until Joannie and Daniel are threatened with their lives. Jacky lies to El Feo, saying it's all on the nearby island (the island full of mangroves and alligator pits.) El Feo has Flashby and his crew sail to the island and look for it while the rest stay aboard the 'Red Devil.' El Feo then takes Jacky to his living quarters where it's there, that he attempts to rape Jacky. Daniel and Joannie intervene; releasing El Gringo on El Feo- stunning him. Then Jemimah takes her huge frying pan that she bought in town and knocks him out cold. Jacky's crew is then able to upheave the 'Red Devil' and throw El Feo's body into the water to be with the remnants of the 'Santa Magdalena.' Finally the 'San Cristobal' comes into view, attacking both ships. But the 'Dolphin' comes to aid Jacky and the crew just in the nick of time. Jacky reunites with both Jaimy and Captain Allen and fights off the Spanish warship. Cisneros then comes aboard for Jacky personally, vowing to kill her. Fearlessly, just as he is about to, Jacky whips out her pistol and shoots him. With the battle soon over, Flaco regains his old ship and gives back the ship its original name. He kisses Jacky and thanks her for the help, leaving the battlefield. Jaimy then soon embarks to be a officer in command on the newly-named 'Saint Christopher.' Flaco soon comes back for his share of the gold and the gold is split evenly between the crew. The Spanish sailor leaves for the southern horizon and Jacky makes her way back to Boston where her crew splits up. Jemimah has federal agents search the nation for her kids that were also victims of slavery; Jim Tanner reunites with Clementine; Davy reunites with Annie; Smasher and John go off on their own journey; El Gringo retires to Dovecote; and Joannie goes back to the Lawson Peabody, much to her dismay. Jacky returns to stay with Amy Trevelyne and Ezra Pickering and keeps her current crew: Higgins, Davy, Tink, Daniel, and herself. Jacky tells Ezra that she plans on buying a ship with the gold that she hid away. Category:Books